Back in 2009, Milwaukee County jail guard James Howard sexually assaulted an inmate. A state
court convicted Mr. Howard of two counts of sexually assaulting an inmate. The
inmate then sued Mr. Howard in federal court, claiming that he violated her
constitutional rights. The inmate also sued Milwaukee County, alleging that the
Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office failed to protect her from Mr. Howard.
Following a trial, the jury found that Mr. Howard violated the inmate’s
constitutional rights and awarded her $1.1 million. The jury did not, however,
find Milwaukee County liable for Mr. Howard’s conduct.

The civil rights lawyers of Samster, Konkel & Safran, S.C. have extensive experience in
assisting clients who have suffered constitutional rights violations. We help
our clients recover for personal injuries, psychological injuries, pain and
suffering and lost wages.